The Contra War: The Civil War In Nicaragua

The Civil War in Nicaragua, more commonly referred to as the Contra War, was a contentious interval of violence provoked by differing ideological perspectives. The Contra War consisted of many parties, although primarily included the Contras, the Sandinistas or FSLN, and the United States Government. The Nicaraguan Revolution, where the Sandinistas came to power, spanned from 1961 to 1979, while the Contra War in which the Contras rebelled against the Sandinistas occurred from 1981 to 1990. The Sandinistas rebelled against the Somoza dictatorship, which was supported by the United States, and they gained power in 1979. The Contras rebelled with the support of the United States against the Sandinistas who recently obtained power in Nicaragua.

The United States were strongly opposed to the Soviet Union and any other related party to the Soviet Union. The United States was currently in the Cold War with the Soviet Union because the United States feared the spread of Communism in the Americas, and its sister, socialism. The Sandinista government, which was a socialist government, was a communist party in the eyes of the Americans (Sullivan & Jordan). The spread of Communism into the Americans, previously in Cuba led the Americans to view the new communist party as a threat to their society and the many surrounding democratic nations. The United States, who were currently in state of tension with the Soviet Union and other Communist parties, known as the Cold War, were perturbed by the proximity of the emerging communist nation and felt the need to get involved. President Ronald Reagan declared in a speech that Central America was “at our doorstep”, meaning that they were neighboring countries and they had a strong influence in our country, and that they could become “the stage for a bold attempt by the Soviet Union… to install Communism by force” (“Support for Contras”). Ronald Reagan made this speech to the United States people on May 9, 1984, to address United States policy towards

The War consisted of three significant groups. The United States Government was allied with the Contras, despite their record of human rights infringements, in order to take down the communist party, the Sandinistas. The Contras were allied with United States to eliminate the Sandinista Government for the betterment of Nicaragua. The Sandinistas opposed both the United States and the Contras because they had a previous disposition to the United states and they felt that socialistic policies was the best way to develop Nicaragua. The current settings of the Nicaraguan Revolution, was that of turmoil and unrest in Central America with multiple countries such as Cuba turning to Communism as a new type of government. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union led to much dispute over the methodology of government. These ideological differences continue to affect society and, even today, tensions persist between the distinct